Prayer guide
for the care
of creation
November 2014
“Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens
the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.”
(Rev. 3.20)
“Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for
a fish, will give him a snake?
If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children,
how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask
him?”
(Matthew 7.9-11)
“Some people think of prayer as the means to get God to do things for us. That
is not the primary purpose of prayer. The primary purpose is to bring the whole
of life into the presence of God for cleansing and decision-making.”
(Selwyn Hughes)
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Saturday 1st November
Pray and Fast for the Climate is an
initiative being launched today with
services in London, Lancaster,
Brighton and Church Stretton. The aim
is to mobilise Christians of all
denominations to pray and work for a
meaningful and just climate
agreement to be reached next month
at the UN climate talks. The London
service takes place at St. John’s
Church, Waterloo Road SE1 82Y,
when the speaker will be the Revd
Steve Chalke.
www.operationnoah.org/newsevents/faith-climate-service
Sunday 2nd November
“The Lord would speak to Moses face
to face, as a man speaks with his
friend.”
(Exodus 33.11)
Gracious Father, help us to find a
pattern for our prayer life that is
right for us rather than one based
on what others say or do. Drive
home to each of us the truth that
you are a God who delights to give
what we need. Teach us how to be
as much at ease with you as you
are with us.
Monday 3rd November
A new report from the European
Environment Agency highlights the
bad effects on the world economy of
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Europe’s growing consumption of
food, clothing and technology.
Food. Meat consumption has doubled
since 1995.To produce 1 kg. of beef
requires 617 litres of water, while the
beef industry produces 2.6 billion
tonnes of CO2 annually. Solutions:
Shorter supply chains would support
small farms and put consumers more
in touch with food production, so
increasing awareness of
environmental impacts and seasonal
food.
Clothing. EU purchases of clothes
have increased by 34% since 1990. In
2004, 33% of demand was met by
imports. Now the figure is 87%. Cotton
production involves much use of water
and land resources with applications
of pesticides. Solutions: Europeans
could buy fewer, better-quality clothes
from socially- and environmentallyfriendly sources. New business
models could encourage the sharing
and leasing of clothes.
Technology. Growth in the number of
European households and in the
replacement cycles of electronics,
combined with the deliberate
designing of products to fail, have led
to massive waste. Electronics
manufacture uses up to 140 times
more energy per kg. than plastics, so
raising electricity consumption by 37%
since 1990. Solutions: The system
could be made more sustainable with
higher-quality appliances and a focus
on sharing/leasing common products,
making them more energy-efficient,
increasing take-back and
remanufacturing, and saving the more
valuable materials from e-waste.
Tuesday 4th November
As part of Good Money Week last
month, a campaign was launched
calling for banks to stop funding fossil
fuels and climate change, and giving
the ‘Big Five’ British banks till the end
of January to commit to divesting from
fossil fuels, or customers will leave
them. Campaigner Charlotte Webster
said: “Fossil fuel investment has never
been environmentally acceptable. It is
now no longer socially acceptable. It is
fast becoming economically
unacceptable too, Investment groups
like the Rockefeller Foundation have
joined religious groups, universities,
councils and cities committed to
moving millions of pounds out of fossil
fuels. Last month Glasgow University
pledged to divest £18 million, joining
the BMA, Oxford City council and the
Quakers in moving away from fossil
fuels.”
Wednesday 5th November
A new report from the Global Wind
Energy Council finds that windgenerated electricity could supply up
to 20% of the world’s needs by 2030,
preventing more than 1 billion tonnes
of CO2 emissions each year – equal
to the combined emissions of
Germany and Italy. By the end of this
year, wind energy installations will
reach 371 gigawatts. In the US,
carbon emissions fell by 16% since
2007. 40% of the fall was due to a
switch to renewables, 30% to
improved energy efficiency and only
30% due to the shale gas boom.
Thursday 6th November
The Government’s Plug-in Car Grant,
which reduces the price of Ultra-low
Emission Vehicles (ULEVs) by £5,000
for cars and £8,000 for vans, has
subsidised 17,000 ULEVs since 2010
and in the last 3 months the rate of
take-up has more than doubled.
Transport Minister Baroness Hamer
said: “Expanding this sector is creating
thousands of jobs, contributing to
Britain’s thriving automotive industry
and encouraging more investment in
the UK.”
The EU £31 million Hydrogen for
Innovative Vehicles project has
enabled Hyundai to start production of
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a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle, one
hundred of which are being sent for
assessment to Copenhagen,
Innsbruck, Munich, Stuttgart and
London.
Friday 7th November
From next January, farmers using their
fields for solar panels will lose
payments for that land under the CAP
– despite the conclusion of the AllParty Group for Beef and Lamb that
“the land is still available for farming
as the solar fixings only take up 5% of
the land. As far as farm payments are
concerned, solar should be treated in
the same way as orchards or fields
with trees, where animals continue to
graze the land in between.” Explaining
her decision, Environment Secretary
Liz Truss said: “It makes my heart sink
to see row upon row of solar panels
where once there was a field of wheat
or grassland for livestock to graze.
Solar panels are best used on the
250,000 hectares of south-facing
commercial rooftops where they will
not compromise the success of our
agricultural industry.” DEFRA claims
that the change will save £2 million of
taxpayers’ money each year.
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Saturday 8th November
Solarcentury and Primrose Solar are
constructing a 48 MW. solar farm on
Grade 4 agricultural land at Southwick
near Portsmouth. The development
will include composting toilets,
biodiesel generators (to cut carbon
emissions) and a car-sharing scheme
for staff. Solarcentury has committed
to confining its developments to nonagricultural land or land of lower
agricultural quality, minimising their
visual impact, engaging with the local
community and using its sites for
educational purposes. The farm is
expected to start generating electricity
for the grid by the end of next March.
Sunday 9th November
Father God, help us always to
approach your throne with a heart
disposed to worship, and a desire
to put your glory ahead of our
needs. Forgive us that so often we
are engaged in weighing, probing,
seeking and asking. Help us to
contemplate your glory, and so to
reflect some of that glory to the
world outside as we seek to meet
its needs.
(Selwyn Hughes –adapted)
Monday 10th November
EU leaders have agreed on the
following:
 A 40% cut in greenhouse gas
emissions by 2030;
 A 27% target for the market
share of renewable energy by
2030, but with variability among
member states;
 A 27% improvement in energy
efficiency by 2030.
Samantha Smith, head of WWF
Global Climate & Energy Initiative,
comments: “These targets are
thoroughly inadequate. We are facing
what is likely to be the warmest year
ever, heat waves and floods are
already hitting Europe, and the
developing world is experiencing even
more dire impacts. European
countries need to deliver targets that
will drive a rapid and just transition out
of fossil fuels and into renewables and
energy efficiency. Until they have
done so, they cannot claim to be
climate leaders.”
Tuesday 11th November
“Warm homes, not warm words” is a
WWF report which finds that just 2%
of the UK demand for heating is met
from low-carbon sources – a far cry
from the 20% goal by 2020 outlined by
the Government’s fourth carbon
budget. Heating accounts for 32% of
UK greenhouse gas emissions and
44% of our energy use. To deliver
sustainable and affordable low-carbon
heat, the Government must:
Publicly highlight the long-term
economic, energy security and
environmental benefits of low-carbon
heat, providing both regulation and
incentives, including extending the
Renewable Heat Incentive to provide
certainty to industry;
Make energy efficiency a national
priority, with legislation that sets a
timeline for improvements;
Elevate the roll-out of low-carbon heat
networks to a national priority.
Wednesday 12th November
A new £20 million anaerobic digestion
plant has been completed in Widnes
by Britcon designed to recycle 90,000
tonnes of commercial and food waste
a year and to generate biogas, which
will be transported directly to the
national gas grid to provide enough
heat for 8,000 homes. It is the largest
gas-to-grid AD plant in the UK and is
set to be a blueprint for similar
projects elsewhere.
Thursday 13th November
A new £48.5 million biomass power
station on Speyside will supply
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enough electricity for more than
20,000 homes and enough heat to
produce steam for whisky distillation at
the Macallan plant. The carbon saving
equates to taking 18,000 cars off the
road. The whisky industry employs
over 10,000 people across Scotland.
The project is funded by John Laing
and the Green Investment Bank and is
supported by a Treasury guarantee.
Danny Alexander, the Chief Secretary,
said: “Over £1 billion infrastructure
projects have been brought forward as
a result of the UK guarantees scheme
and £36 billion worth of projects are
pre-qualified. Our action is creating
the conditions for more investment in
our infrastructure and helping to build
a stronger economy.”
Friday 14th November
World coffee prices have fluctuated
wildly in recent years, threatening the
livelihoods of the 25 million people
who cultivate this labour-intensive
crop, many of them small-scale
producers who derive little economic
benefit compared with traders,
roasters, distributors, retailers and
investors. Major concerns include
workers’ rights, child labour, use of
agrochemicals and deforestation. In
Ethiopia, the Oroma Coffee Farmers
Cooperative provides educational and
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health benefits as well as insurance
against crop loss. In Costa Rica and
India cooperatives have become
leaders in the production of carbonneutral coffee. Other initiatives set
standards in fair trade and organic
production. Certified coffee could
reach 20-25% of the market by 2015.
In the Netherlands 40% of all coffee is
certified sustainable. In the US the
figure is 16%.
Saturday 15th November
The International Bar Association
Task Force on Climate Change &
Human Rights has produced a report
on the challenges facing legal regimes
which are poorly suited to provide
legal remedies for people most
affected by climate change. It
recommends:
 Legal recognition of a universal
human right to a safe, clean,
healthy and sustainable
environment;
 Creation of an International Court
on the Environment to resolve
disputes on climate change issues
and, meanwhile, to recognise the
jurisdiction of the International
Court of Justice and the
Permanent Court of Arbitration at
The Hague;
 Greening of bilateral investment
treaties to include an obligation to
comply with environmental laws
and provide precedence of such
laws over conflicting trade
measures;
 New WTO guidelines to assure
states that trade-related measures
motivated by climate concerns do
not fall foul of WTO trading rules.
Through its 50-plus recommendations,
the Task Force calls on world leaders,
policymakers, lawyers, corporations,
trade bodies, scientists and individuals
to take joint, bold action to achieve
climate change justice.
organisations representing over 2
million members. Recent studies have
shown that dredging rivers can
sometimes make downstream flooding
worse by moving water too quickly
down rivers. In June new guidance
from the Environment Agency
appeared to prioritise dredging over
other flood management options. “The
Government must understand that
(flood prevention) extends way
beyond dredging and needs to
encompass resilience, sustainable
land use and other measures which
are tried, tested and supported by the
evidence.”
Sunday 16th November
Father God, you have given us so
many good things. Give us also a
thankful and praising heart. Forgive
us that so often we cannot see the
blessings that stare us in the face.
Deepen in us the conviction that
everything good in our lives comes
from you, and that nothing, but
nothing can ever happen to us that
cannot be turned to your glory.
(Selwyn Hughes – adapted)
Tuesday 18th November
HSBC and Global Action Plan have
launched a Water Explorer
Programme to enable 9,000 young
people aged 8-14 from 11 countries to
tackle water issues including water
saving, cleanliness and better access.
Students who complete the Water
Explorer challenge will be awarded a
UNEP certificate. GAP’s manager,
Andy Deacon, said: “We know that
the impacts of climate change will
most readily be felt in water scarcity
and pollution – issues that will only
become more urgent for the next
generation. We’re proud to be leading
an international project to enable
Monday 17th November
A report called “Dredging up Trouble”
has been released by Blueprint for
Water partners, a coalition of
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young people to be leaders in their
school communities now, and to be
leaders in water conservation when
they will be most needed.”
Wednesday 19th November
The DECC has produced a Water
Source Heat Map which identifies 40
urban rivers with the greatest potential
for deployment of water source heat
pumps. This follows the opening last
year of the Kingston Heights Open
Water Heat Pump community heating
system. The scheme harvests lowgrade heat from the Thames and
transfers it 200 metres to a 142-bed
hotel and conference centre plus 137
apartments, where it provides all
requirements for heating or cooling
water. Mitsubishi’s advanced heat
pump technology boosts the lowgrade heat provided by solar energy
naturally stored in every open body of
water to the temperature required to
provide heating and hot water for the
flats and hotel. The system provides
2.3 MW. of thermal energy, while
electricity is provided by Ecotricity’s
wind turbines, making the entire
installation Zero Carbon.
Thursday 20th November
Whole Foods Market has introduced a
Responsibly Produced rating system
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to assess the impact of farming
practices on the environment and
human health. It labels fruit,
vegetables and flowers as ‘good’
‘better’ or ‘best’ to help shoppers
make informed choices in the produce
and floral departments. It forbids the
use of some neurotoxins still allowed
in agriculture. To earn a ‘good’ rating,
a farm must take 16 steps to protect
air, soil, water and human health. A
‘best’ rating requires exceptional
performance in 1) pest management,
2) farm worker welfare, 3) water
conservation, 4) enhancing soil health,
5) ecosystems & biodiversity, 6) waste
reduction & 70 air, energy and climate.
Friday 21st November
A report funded by Triodos Bank
provides evidence that over 20 years
the use of systemic insecticides has
caused significant damage to a wide
range of beneficial invertebrates and
is a key factor in the decline of bees.
Lead author Dr Jean-Marc Boumartin
of the National Centre for Scientific
Research in France said: “We are
witnessing a threat to the productivity
of our natural and farmed environment
equivalent to that posed by
organophosphates or DDT. Far from
protecting food production, the use of
neonics is threatening the very
infrastructure which enables it,
imperilling the pollinators, habitat
engineers and natural pest controllers
at the heart of a functioning
ecosystem.” The report suggests that
regulatory agencies should further
tighten restrictions on neonicotinoids
and fibronil and start planning a global
phase=out of these insecticides.
Saturday 22nd November
The Annual Members’ Meeting of CEL
takes place at 2 pm today in St.
Aloysius Church, 20 Phoenix Road,
Euston, London NW1 1TA. Ian
Christie, research co-ordinator of the
EU- and DEFRA-supported
Sustainable Lifestyles Research
Group, will present the findings of its
3-year research into what engages
people in ‘green’ behaviour, including
community innovation and catalysts
for personal action. The doors open at
1 pm. Bring lunch.
Sunday 23rd November
Loving Father, teach us the art of
listening to your voice. Establish a
listening-post in our hearts, so that
we can better detect your voice.
We long to have a trained ear.
Draw us closer to you, so that our
minds and souls may become
more receptive to what you might
be saying to us.
(Selwyn Hughes – adapted)
Monday 24th November
According to an Ecofys study
approved by the European
Commission, generating electricity
from onshore wind is now cheaper
than using gas, coal or nuclear. The
figures are:
Gas:
£130 per MWh
Nuclear:
£105
Coal:
£128-184
Onshore wind:
£80
Offshore wind:
£147
Solar PV:
£171
The deputy CEO of the European
Wind Energy Association said:
“Renewables are regularly denigrated
for being too expensive and a drain on
the taxpayer. Not only does the
commission’s report show the
alarming cost of coal, but it also
presents onshore wind as being both
cheaper and more environmentallyfriendly.” Coincidentally, Ecotricity and
Skanska have announced a joint
venture called ‘Skylark’ to build a
series of wind farms that will together
generate 350 MW.
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Tuesday 25th November
Reviewing “The Burning Answer: a
User’s Guide to the Solar Revolution”
by Keith Barnham, Jonathon Porritt
writes: “Barnham argues that the solar
revolution is doable right now. That’s
just the start. Digging deeper into the
solar innovation pipeline, he reveals
the extraordinary wealth of
breakthroughs on materials, costs,
efficiencies, integration, storage etc.
that are now bearing down on
bemused politicians and shell-shocked
diehards in the fossil fuel and nuclear
industries. . . If politicians really
understood the incomparably serious
threat of accelerating climate change,
we would be witnessing a dramatically
different response from leaders today.
Why do they commit billions of euros
to researching nuclear fusion at
Cadarache in France while knowing
full well that nothing can come of this
investment for at least 30 years – and
yet can’t find the few million it would
take to establish an international solar
laboratory?
Wednesday 26th November
In July the WCC representing 300
church organisations with a
membership of 590 million voted in
favour of divestment from fossil fuels.
The Quakers set the ball rolling in
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2011 and finished divesting their
portfolio last Christmas. Now religious
groups from the Anglican Church of
New Zealand to the Diocese of
California, from the Church of
Scotland to the General Synod of the
Church of England are busy doing the
same. Campaigner Siobhan Grimes
asks: “If churches make their
decisions purely based on financial
returns, then what makes a church a
church if it’s not trying to live up to
some gospel value? . . . The Bible
says a lot about money. It’s at the
heart of Christianity, and so I’m sure
divestment will happen.”
Thursday 27th November
The 10,000 square miles of the
Okavanga Delta have become the
thousandth World Heritage Site. This
area of permanent marshland and
seasonally-flooded plains is home to a
range of endangered mammals
including cheetahs, white and black
rhinoceros, African wild dogs and
lions. The designation gives it
international recognition and
protection, ensuring its safety for
generations to come.
www.wildernessfoundation.org.uk
Friday 28th November
Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are
seen as critical in the drive to build
ocean resilience to climate change
and to ‘re-seed’ the wider oceans as
healthy fish populations move beyond
their boundaries. Lewis Pugh, a UN
Patron of the Oceans, has undertaken
seven long-distance swims in each of
seven seas (Mediterranean, Adriatic,
Aegean, Black, Red, Arabian and
North Seas) to raise awareness of the
need to conserve at least 10% of our
seas in a network of well-managed
MPAs. “We have done it on land –
think of Yellowstone, the Serengeti
and Kruger National Park – and now
it’s time to protect the seas.”
www.lewispugh.com
Saturday 29th November
Today is Buy Nothing Day in the UK,
when we lock up our wallets and
purses, forget about our credit cards
and abandon any idea of ‘retail
therapy’. It’s a day when we challenge
ourselves, our families and our friends
to switch off from shopping and tune
into life. Everything we buy has an
impact on the environment. Buy
Nothing Day highlights the
environmental and ethical
consequences of consumerism.
www.buynothingday.co.uk
Sunday 30th November
Lord Jesus, we see that during
your life on earth you never
hurried, never worried and were
never flurried, yet you always had
time for the essentials of each day.
Teach us how to make time for the
things that matter, time for prayer,
time for caring for people both near
and far, time for focussing on your
will for us. Change us, dear Lord,
that we may, in our turn, change
the world.
(Selwyn Hughes – adapted)
Sources:
The Environment (CIWEM)
Organic Way (Garden Organic)
Resurgence
www.edie.net
Additional Prayers
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